In radio communication systems, information (for example voice, picture information or other data) is transmitted with the aid of electromagnetic waves via a radio interface. The radio interface relates to a connection between a base station and subscriber stations, where the subscriber stations can be mobile stations or stationary radio stations. The electromagnetic waves are radiated at carrier frequencies which are in the frequency band provided for the respective system. For future radio communication systems, for example the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) or other third-generation systems, frequencies are provided in the frequency band of approx. 2000 MHz.
For the third generation of mobile radio, broadband radio interfaces (B=5 MHz) are provided which use a CDMA (code division multiple access) transmission method for differentiating between different transmission channels. The CDMA transmission method requires a continuous transmission power control which, as a rule, functions for both directions of transmission in the form of a closed control loop. For the up-link (the radio transmission from the mobile station to the base station), the base station evaluates transmissions of the mobile station with respect to the transmission quality and transmits back to the subscriber station a transmission power correction instruction which is used by the subscriber station for controlling transmission power for subsequent transmissions. From ETSI STC SMG2 UMTS-L1, Tdoc SMG2 UMTS-L1 221/98 of 25.8.1998, pages 29-30, it is known to specify a fixed increment for increasing or reducing the transmission power, which can only vary from radio cell to radio cell. Thus, the increment of transmission power correction is a static parameter. Specifying the increment statically, however, ignores certain dynamic characteristics of the transmission performance via the radio interface which, from time to time, causes an unnecessarily high interference in the radio communication system if the transmission power is too high or a transmission quality which is too poor if the transmission power is too low. It is an object of the invention to improve the transmission performance. This object is achieved in accordance with the method having the features of claim 1 and the radio communication system having the features of claim 16. Advantageous further developments can be found in the subclaims.